On the lookout for predators

Susan Anderson had seen enough. The 3-year Los Altos police officer was coming across an increasing number of cases dealing with Internet predators - unknown figures who could live next door or in another country connecting with young girls and boys over the Internet to arrange for sex. Anderson last year dealt with the case of a Los Altos girl who was being blackmailed by an Internet predator into having intimate relations.

“I didn’t want to see any more victims,” Anderson said. “We needed to do something about it.”

Antiochian church members celebrate new beginning

Members of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer officially celebrated a new beginning Sunday with the groundbreaking of a new sanctuary in Los Altos Hills.

The event capped months of planning and fund raising in the wake of an arson-related April 2002 fire that burned down the former sanctuary. The incident made national headlines because of the terrorist actions of Sept. 11, 2001, and because many of the parishioners are of Arab-American or Middle-Eastern descent. The investigation is ongoing, with no arrests made thus far.

Artists come downtown for awards, inspiration

Arts Alive 2004, the celebration of area artists, came in full force to downtown Los Altos last week.

To kick off the focus on art, 63 artists from Los Altos and surrounding communities were invited to enter the art competition sponsored by the Los Altos Village Association (LAVA) and the Los Altos Art Club. Over 130 works of art were submitted for the competition, with 57 being selected by art expert and teacher, Jane Hofstetter, for a 30-day exhibition at Main Street Cafe & Books.

Adobe Creek restoration plan for Reach 5 approved

After years of controversy and setbacks and months of planning and compromise, city officials for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, residents of both communities and the Santa Clara Water District took a giant step forward April 20 towards the restoration of Adobe Creek.

The board of directors for the Santa Clara Water District approved consideration of the project proposed by the Adobe Creek Watershed Group and approved funds for the project last Tuesday.

No alternative sites suitable for pool complex identified in report

Noise appears to be the one significant and unavoidable impact that a proposed three-pool complex at Los Altos’ Rosita Park would have on the surrounding neighborhood, according to findings in a court-ordered draft environmental study that consultant group David J. Powers & Associates released last week.

Yet, the report concludes that there are no alternative locations in Los Altos suitable for the complex.

Black becomes the standard for downtown fixtures

Black is the new official city color for downtown Los Altos, according to standards put in place last week to monitor the appearance of public street furniture and fixtures.

Lampposts, trash containers, recycling bins and newspaper and bike racks must all conform to a city-approved glossy shade of black.

Police report

April 14, 11:44 a.m., El Camino Real and San Antonio Road: A VTA bus was involved in an accident. Police reported injuries.

LETTERS OF APRIL 28, 2004

It is regrettable that the Los Altos Hills Town Council has chosen to fund legal counsel for exploring the divisive issue of establishing a charter school or a new school district within Los Altos Hills.

Wedding announcements

Send your wedding, engagement or anniversary announcements to Myrna Hayes at the Los Altos Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022.

Photos are welcome. If you want your photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For more information, call 948-9000, ext. 300, or e-mail myrnah@latc.com.

OBITUARIES FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 28, 2004

Patricia (Patt) M. Jones Comer, passed away peacefully with her family present in her home February 1, 2004, in Trinity Center, California. She was born August 14, 1930 in Monterey, California. She was a loving wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. She is survived by daughters Juliana (Ralph) Kline of Los Altos, CA and Wendy (Jeff) Pfeiffer of Los Gatos, CA, as well as brothers and sisters - Daniel Mason, Leon Mason, Donald Mason, Diane Schlueter, Peggy Feliciano and Linda Plat.

Forum speaker advises how to avoid scams

Morning Forum heard Special Agent Brian Watson - who conducts white-collar crime investigations for the Internal Revenue Service - speak April 20.

Watson, based in San Jose, discussed types of investigations and investigative techniques for scams involving money laundering, tax evasion fraud and even terrorism. As part of the agency that “took down Al Capone,” he “follows the money” to find criminals.

Children’s Corner celebrates 25th anniversary

Los Altos-Mountain View Children’s Corner, one of the area’s oldest non-profit preschools, will celebrate its 25th anniversary, 3-5 p.m., Saturday, at Shoup Park.

The picnic will feature children’s activities including face painting, a visit from Dottie the Clown, a magic show, balloon animals and hats. Children’s Corner Executive Director Gini Brown and long-term board president Barbara Driscoll will present a program commemorating the preschool’s 25 years.

MVLA speech students vie in state competition

The Mountain View-Los Altos Speech and Debate Team will send 44 percent of its members to compete in the annual California High School Speech Association Tournament to be held Thursday through Sunday at Diablo Valley College in Diablo Valley. With four out of nine team members winning slots in the final competition, the team has the highest winning percentage in the Coast Forensic League.

The MVLA Speech and Debate Team is unique among the district’s extracurricular activities in including students from both high schools. Dawn Maxey, a senior, and Prashant Rai, a sophomore, both Los Altos residents who attend Mountain View High School, will compete as a duo in the Interpretive Speech category. Laurel Lathrop, a senior at Los Altos High School and a Los Altos resident, will compete in the Original Oratory Speech event. Shruti Dave, a senior at Los Altos High School and a Mountain View resident, will compete in the Impromptu Speech event.

MVLA likely to tighten student travel policy

The 19 Los Altos High School students suspended just before spring break for possessing or drinking alcohol on two school trips this month - one to a track meet and the other to a school newspaper event - have prompted administrators of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District to reconsider their travel policy for students.

“We’ll definitely take a look at the travel policy,” Brigitte Sarraf, associate superintendent for educational services, said this week. “We may tighten the language.”

Foothill-De Anza approves plus/minus grading for 2006-2007

Beginning with the fall term of the 2006-2007 academic year, Foothill and De Anza Community colleges will recognize plus and minus symbols in their grades. The board of trustees approved the item by a 4-1 vote with Trustee Andrea Leiderman objecting.

A period of partial implementation will begin with the fall term of the 2004-2005 academic year and continue through the 2005-2006 academic year. During the test period, the grade scale will include the plus and minus symbols, but only the base letter grades will be used to calculate the grade-point averages until the full implementation with the 2006 fall term.

Community leaders to discuss how citizens can influence local education

The theme for Sunday’s panel discussion, the last of four Community Dialogues on Education sponsored by the Los Altos Community Foundation and the Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters, is “How can I make a difference?”

Matt Neely, Mountain View councilman and high school vice principal, will lead three superintendents, two policy leaders and a local community leader through an exploration of such topics as bringing more local control to our schools, putting the “public” back into public schools and increasing awareness of education issues.

LAEF raises $1.2 million for schools

The Los Altos Educational Foundation today announced it has raised $1.2 million, its total financial commitment to the Los Altos School District for the current school year. This contribution will continue their support for smaller class sizes and enrichment programs such as technology, science, art, music and physical education for children in grades K-8.

Specific allocations of the grant include: $210,000 to technology and science aides, $280,000 for the PE program, $346,000 for instrumental and vocal music instruction, $66,000 for junior high computer instruction, $83,000 for art aides and docent programs, and $215,000 for junior high English, science and math class-size reduction.

A season of struggles

Those wondering what’s wrong with this year’s Los Altos High baseball team need only look at last week’s 4-3 loss at Palo Alto for answers.

The Eagles continued their trend of leaving runners on base and making costly errors. Los Altos stranded 11 runners, twice leaving the bases loaded and marooning men at second and third two other times. Los Altos also made two errors that led to runs.

EXPO 2004 proves a jampacked success for chamber

EXPO 2004, held in the Los Altos Youth Center last Thursday, developed into a productive, crowded affair with filled booth-spaces. Although many chambers have dropped their Expos because of lack of activity, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce EXPO, now in its 16th year, continues to grow.

Tables represented the seven Los Altos shopping districts as well as numerous non-profit organizations looking for exposure.

Caldecott winner brings his story of suspense and delight to Los Altos

Mordicai Gerstein, winner of the prestigious 2004 Caldecott Medal for “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,” visited Los Altos last week to give a brief presentation and sign books for two school groups at Linden Tree Children’s Recordings and Books, 170 State St.

Gerstein, a resident of Northampton, Mass., has written and illustrated more than 30 books for children. “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” is a delight - the kind of book that sends the reader searching for everything else the author has published.

Literary library lover leaves ‘em laughing

Firoozeh Dumas, author of “Funny in Farsi: Growing Up Iranian in America,” number 4 on the Los Angeles Times Paperback Nonfiction bestseller list, talked like an old friend to a standing-room-only crowd in the program room of the main library last Thursday. She was the lecturer for the Los Altos Library Endowment’s second annual “Speaking Volumes” event.

Dumas told the appreciative crowd that her father - an indefatigable storyteller and “a really funny, funny man” - read all the stories that became the novel before they saw print. To her audience’s delight, she announced that her book is being made into a movie and her father wants Steve Martin to play him.

Realtors offer buyers & sellers advice on home remodeling

Nationwide, realtors say buyers shy away from older homes that need work because they prefer to buy a home that is “already done.”

Locally, the multiple bids on older properties challenge that statement, according to Los Altos realtors.